Data Classification
Sorting information by how sensitive it is, so that the rule for AI use is drawn by the kind of data and not by the name of the tool. The site's customer data article uses three tiers: green for any tool, amber only for an approved business tool, and red kept out of general AI tools.
What it means in practice
The customer data article sets four conditions for amber text: the account belongs to the business, a data processing agreement is in place, training on inputs is off or contractually excluded, and you know how long inputs are kept. Where those are not met, the text is red until they are. The banning article turns the same idea into a one-page rule for staff, and says it adds no new principle, because client and HR data is already covered by data protection duties.
How we use it
The customer data article suggests teaching the three tiers in a short session where the team applies them to real examples from their own inbox, because the borderline cases are where understanding forms. Following each team’s data through its processes is part of how we audit.
FAQ
Questions about Data Classification
What Data should never go into an AI Tool?
The customer data article's red tier includes login details, passwords and access tokens, payment card and bank details, identity numbers, health information, information about children, anything under a confidentiality agreement or legal privilege, and complete customer lists. The banning article's list adds client names and contact details, contracts and HR records. A red task worth automating needs a deliberate design with a data protection assessment, not a quick paste.
Customer Data and AI Tools: What is Safe to paste?Why banning AI at work backfires, and what to do
Why draw the line by Data rather than by Tool?
The customer data article says the same assistant behaves differently under a personal login and under a business agreement, so account type matters more than brand. A rule by kind of data takes seconds and gives the same answer to everyone. The banning article adds that explaining the reason for each line lets people judge cases the page never anticipated.
Customer Data and AI Tools: What is Safe to paste?Why banning AI at work backfires, and what to do
What it means for a Business
The site's banning article says one page listing what may never be entered, what is fine in the approved tool and who to ask about the rest does more good than ten pages nobody reads. The customer data article adds that a text takes the tier of its most sensitive element, so one passport number makes a whole document red.
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